Court issues perpetual arrest warrants of Hussain Haqqani

ISLAMABAD: A special judge issued perpetual arrest warrants for former Pakistan envoy to the United States Hussain Haqqani, to bring him back to the country, on a report of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The FIA had registered a case against Haqqani in March for “criminal breach of trust, misuse of authority and embezzlement of funds”.

He has been the principal accused in the Memogate scandal.

Special judge Irum Niazi heard the the matter on Friday.

The FIA report alleged that Haqqani was also involved in the misappropriation of embassy funds to the tune of $2 million.

The FIA report says that the former envoy has deliberately gone into hiding and mentions that a notification of summons had already been pasted outside his Karachi house.

According to the standard operating procedure, the FIA needed an arrest warrant by the court and other relevant papers of the case to get red warrants from Interpol.

The Supreme Court had directed Haqqani earlier to appear before the court in Memogate case but he failed to comply with the orders.

Haqqani left the country on January 3, 2013, with the commitment with the court to come back. But he failed to return to the country from the United States.

Hussain Haqqani had served as ambassador in US from 2008 to 2011 and was relieved for his alleged role in the Memogate controversy.

The Memogate controversy revolves around a memorandum allegedly drafted by Haqqani and addressed to US Admiral Mike Mullen.